Maldives Police Service disclosed on Wednesday that a total of 65 individuals were arrested from all over the archipelago in the New Year operation conducted on 30 and 31 December 2019.
According to Police, most of the arrests were made over alcohol abuse and for offensive and disorderly conduct in public.
Statistics revealed by authorities show that the most suspects, a total of 23, were arrested from Fuvahmulah.
Police arrested 15 perpetrators from Addu City, 19 from Male' City, six from Shaviyani Atoll and one from Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll and Raa Atoll each.
Authorities confirmed on Thursday that 46 suspects were later released and only 19 were currently under Police custody.
- A total of 19 arrests were made in capital Male', out of which four were minors
- Police discovered cooking sites and alcohol bottles in abandoned homes and hidden in the vegetation in Hithadhoo, Seenu Atoll.
- From Hithadhoo, 13 were arrested for disturbing the peace and two were arrested over damaging a shop
- One intoxicated individual was arrested in Meedhoo, Raa Atoll
- Five houses were searched in Lhaimagu, Shaviyani Atoll, over suspicions of drug trafficking -- Police uncovered large amounts of illegal narcotics and made three arrests
- Along with four bottles of alcohol, one arrest was made in Funadhoo, Shaviyani Atoll, although two others were also found intoxicated
- A male aged 39 was arrested for possession of illegal narcotics in Thinadhoo, Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll
- Police uncovered alcohol brewing supplies in four households and arrested five intoxicated individuals in Fuvahmulah -- the aforementioned suspects prepared 14 bottles of alcohol, each containing 500 ml
- Out of the 23 arrests in Fuvahmulah, 18 were taken into custody for disturbing the peace.
Over 500 people were stopped on Male' roads and questioned as part of the operation, out of which 350 already had a pre-existing criminal record. Authorities also inspected over 900 vessels and vehicles.
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